


IgNIORant Adrien

by xSomedayxSoonx



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien just wants to make a friend, F/M, Identity Reveal, Oblivious Adrien, Plagg is going to go crazy, Plagg will fight Gabriel for his child, alya and nino, classroom shenannigans, don't know how to handle their friends, eventually, way too many akumas, when he figures it out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 00:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13559211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSomedayxSoonx/pseuds/xSomedayxSoonx
Summary: A trained model smile can hide almost anything, and Adrien’s had years of practice. Besides, he always needs to be on his best behavior. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some things he notices that he wishes he could talk about...Adrien isn’t as oblivious as people think. Or, he is, but he’s working on it.





	IgNIORant Adrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien thinks he’s got it all figured out, and Nino and Plagg are not prepared to put a damper on his genius.

“Then you just need to balance the hydrogen molecules on either side of the equation, and you’re done!” Adrien jotted the final note on his paper before beaming at Marinette. She squeaked. Quickly focusing on her paper in a flurry of motion that almost sent her worksheet flying off the edge of the table, Marinette kept her head down as she carefully copied what he’d said. Adrien could still see the bright blush splashed across her cheeks.

It had been like this since they'd been paired together for group work today. Actually, it had been like this whenever he was around Marinette. She could barely form a sentence around him.

Nino often said he was oblivious and would make a lot of jokes about being homeschooled, but Adrien wasn’t blind. Marinette clearly wasn’t comfortable around him. And he knew why.

It always bothered him that Marinette was so obviously uneasy around him. He’d ask her about it, but the longer he was around her, the more she’d stutter and get flushed. He couldn’t imagine how flustered she’d get if he ever tried to bring up the issue with her. The last thing he wanted was to make her _more_ uncomfortable, so he politely pretended not to notice.

“Did I explain it well enough that you understand the process for balancing the chemical equation?” Adrien asked delicately. Marinette still jerked like the sound of his voice was a jolt of electricity.

“Uh, yea-yeah. Of course. I got you thanks to it. I mean I got _it_ thanks to _you_!” Adrien looked away from Marinette’s wide blue eyes as she stammered.

“Good.” He studied the next problem on their worksheet with mild interest, giving Marinette a chance to take some deep breaths with the pressure off. “I think we’ll be able to finish this before the bell rings.”

“O-okay,” Marinette agreed. She moved to grab her pencil but knocked it off the desk instead. She gasped and lunged after it. Her movements were quick and jerky, so Adrien didn’t have time to offer his assistance. She ended up grabbing the pencil and righting herself before he could blink, so it wouldn’t have been necessary. Her smile was toothy and awkward, but when he gave a small one in return, her blush migrated up to her ears, and she quickly glanced away.

Adrien reluctantly turned his focus back to his paper.

The rest of the class was hard at work too. Everyone was paired up and muttering over their worksheets.  Adrien felt the sorriest for Alya because he could still hear her murderous whispers at Chloe to do her share of the work. Kim was happy enough to let Sabrina do both of their worksheets.

Even with a project partner who couldn’t form coherent sentences around him, Adrien didn’t think he and Marinette would be the last group done with the project at least. Adrien was good at science, even if Marinette didn’t like it. If he’d ever managed to be her friend, he would have even offered to help tutor her in the subject. He had a feeling that if he suggested that, Marinette would spontaneously combust.

It didn’t really seem fair. Marinette was so open and lively with the rest of the class. Just not him. He knew she had good reason, but he would like to have the chance to get to know the Marinette the rest of the class got to. She seemed confident and friendly and like someone he’d get along with. She was good friends with Alya and Nino, so he felt left out. Actually, she was better friends with everyone in the class, except Chloe.

All the girls would go to her for advice, and none of the boys were ever disappointed to be paired with her for group projects. If Alya was gone, she was welcomed at any lunch table. It was just _him_ she wouldn’t, or couldn’t, talk to.

“Would you like to try the next problem on your own?” Adrien asked.

“Uh… I… uh…”

“It’s okay. We can check it at the end. I know you can do it.” He gave her an encouraging smile, but Marinette’s face flushed to match Nathaniel’s hair. Adrien turned politely away and focused on his paper.

It took all of Adrien’s manners sometimes not to ask why she had to act so different around him or demand to know why she was always so embarrassed. This was one of those moments. But, he always had to be on his best behavior in public, especially at school, or else his father might not let him out of the house again, and he’d never find the answers to his questions. He’d never find out if he _could_ be her friend.

The rest of the worksheet passed similar to how it had started. Marinette never stopped looking uncomfortable except for the occasional dreamy sigh. Adrien never indicated that he noticed or found it strange.

They weren’t the first group done, but they weren’t the last. When the final bell rang, all the unfinished pairs turned in their work, and Alya came to gather up Marinette after the bell, so Adrien collected his things to follow Nino. Pausing, he turned back to face the girls.

“Hey, Marinette.” Her whole body tensed as she looked at him. “Great work, partner.” He gave her a gentle grin.

“Th-thanks, Adrien.” Marinette gave him a bashful smile before bolting. He watched Alya shake her head at her best friend when Marinette bumped into a trashcan.

Adrien sighed.

“How did the project go?”

Glancing at Nino, Adrien adjust the strap of his bag as he followed his best to the cafeteria. He was grateful his freedom had extended to the lunch hour. It might be a serious cut in food quality some days, but it gave him more time with the few friends he had made.

“She wouldn’t even say a sentence to me.”

Nino let out a strangled note of understanding. “Well, you know Mari.”

“No,” Adrien pointed out, “no I don’t. She won’t even talk to me.” Nino was one of the only people he would take an attitude like this with. The other didn’t count in this situation because she wore a mask.

“Uh, right. Yeah. Um…” Nino looked uncomfortable, and Adrien respected the position his friend was in. Since he was so close with Alya, and he’d known Marinette forever, he wouldn’t want to betray anything he knew, even to Adrien.

“It’s okay. I get it.” He wasn’t going to make Nino tell him anything that wasn’t his secret to tell. Besides, Adrien wasn’t as clueless as Nino thought he was.

“You do?”

“Come on,” Adrien stressed, “I’m not as oblivious as you guys think. I know why Marinette is so shy around me.”

“You do?” Nino repeated in shock.

“Yeah.” Adrien bobbed his head, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile. “She’s intimidated by who my father is.”

“Dude.” Nino stared at him blankly. “ _Dude_.”

“I know!” Adrien crossed his arms triumphantly. “I do notice things.”

“Dude,” Nino groaned again while Adrien waited patiently for him to get over his awe. Plagg tumped his chest from his shirt pocket, but he chose to ignore that. "Are you even human?"

"I know. I'm astounding." He grinned.

"Forget what I said about oblivious."

"My observation skills are top notch," Adrien agreed.

Nino shook his head. "Oh yeah. First to agree right here." Adrien could tell Nino was using a tone with him, but he was just happy his best friend wouldn't have to lie to him anymore. “You’re right. I should have just told you about it. Can’t keep anything from you.” He gave a weak laugh and playfully nudged Adrien’s shoulder.

They continued walking as Adrien contemplated thoughtfully. He knew Marinette would make a good friend, so he didn’t see why he couldn’t make that happen. Nino would certainly appreciate if he was friends with Alya’s best friend. If Marinette was uncomfortable around him, he wanted to fix the problem. Maybe then she would want to be his friend.

“I think I need to find a way to make her less intimidated.

“Yeah,” Nino snorted, “let me know how that works.”

“What?” Adrien demanded. “I can be smooth.”

“Okay, first of all: no. You can't.”

"Hey, I'm smooth," Adrien objected again.

"No, you're the dorkest human being I know."

"I'm the  _model_ of smooth."

Nino's glare was unimpressed. "That. That right there. That's what I mean." He ticked off on his fingers as the finally reached the back of the cafeteria line. “Second of all: I know Mari. She’s not exactly… well, it’s not going to be easy.”

“I never said it would be.” Adrien stepped forward with the line. He couldn’t see Alya or Marinette anywhere, and he wondered where they went. Her parent’s bakery maybe. “I just think I could maybe talk to her about my father and make her understand that he’s not some scary… _god_ she needs to be so intimidated by.”

“Good luck.” The corners of Adrien’s mouth twitched down at the doubt in Nino’s voice. “My guess is that Mari doesn’t magically stop stuttering around you, dude. I bet she runs for the hills… and trips over something. Or runs in to something. _Or_ both.”

Adrien refused to be discouraged. He was the only person, aside from Chloe, Marinette wasn’t friends with. He didn’t want to be left out, and he didn’t have a lot of friends. He really wanted to try, and it couldn’t hurt. What did he have to lose? She was already uncomfortable around him, but he could gain her friendship if he tried.

Nino was wrong about it. Adrien knew it would turn out. He pulled at the hem of his shirt to disrupt the sighs he could hear coming from his pocket.

“We’ll see.”

* * *

 

Chat used his baton to vault onto another roof. He kept his breathing even as he raced across it. Chasing akumas was pretty familiar at this point.

It gave him a chance to focus on his problem with Marinette from earlier.

Being partnered with Marinette for the worksheet today had just made the issue it painfully obvious. He wanted to be her friend. He knew that much. He also knew that Marinette would be a good friend. She supported her friends’ hobbies and went to their events. She seemed like she gave good advice from what he’d overheard. Really the only downside he could think of was that she was prone to falling on the people nearest her, but he could handle that.

“You’re distracted today.”

“ _Whaaa_!” Chat stumbled across the roof, sliding on his chest. His eyes were squeezed closed from the fall, so he cracked them open. “Ladybug?”

“Hello, alley cat,” she laughed down at him.

Chat grumbled to himself as he brushed his suit off. “You startled me.”

“Clearly.” Ladybug rested her hands on her hips as she watched him get back to his feet. “What has you so distracted?”

“Only you, bugaboo,” he chirped, and she shook. It jostled her pigtails, and Chat watched the sunlight catching on the shoulders of her costume. The red of her outfit had a more glittery effect than his. His Chat Noir suit was more leather like while her suit was nearly seamless and hugged her every curve like a second skin.

“What? No puns today?” she challenged. It shook him out of his daze, and a slow smile pulled his lips into the biggest grin he’d had since the last time he’d seen her.

“No puns?” He bounded over to her. “That would be a _cat_ astrophe.” He was expecting her eye roll and watched fondly as she fisted her hands at her hips.

“Or a blessing,” Ladybug argued. “Come on, enough fooling around.” She wound her arm back to toss her yo-yo. “We have an akuma to catch up to.”

Chat happily followed after his lady. The news reports had put the akuma near the college, and so long as it hadn’t moved, it would probably be easy to find.

Sure enough, a scream pierced the air, and Ladybug and Chat Noir followed the signs of chaos. Ladybug stopped on a dormitory on the edge of campus to survey the scene. A dark purple and blue woman was watching students run by her, watching for someone. Chat balanced himself on top of his baton as he watched the costumed villain attempt to chase down a screaming girl.

“I wonder what theme this akuma is,” Ladybug mused.

“I am Question Master!” The akumatized victim raged around the campus. “I will punish the liars!”

“Well, I think it will require some _investigating_ , my lady.” He tilted his head at Ladybug as he grinned, but she only glared at him.

“I can’t tell if that was a pun or you being mean.”

Chat nearly tumbled off his baton. “A pun! I swear I would never.”

“Let’s just stop her before she hurts any of the students out there.”

“Up for a little _Q and A_ session?” He beamed at his lady. “Quips and awesomeness.”

Ladybug sighed. “Just focus on the akuma.” She yo-yoed toward the Sciences building Question Master was terrorizing. A man in a blazer was cowering with his hands over his head where she had him cornered.

“Do I scare you?” Question Master asked sweetly.

“Ye-yes!” The man squatted down and hunched in on himself.

“You wouldn’t lie to me about that, would you?” the villain taunted.

“Leave him alone!”

Ladybug swung down near Question Master, and Chat perched on a bench next to her. Question Master turned toward the two heroes with a grin. The man used the distraction to scramble away.

“Ah, Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Her hair was a long that curled up like the top of a question mark. She also held a small metal object shaped like a question mark in her right hand that she kept spinning. “Nice of you to drop by.”

Ladybug kept her yo-yo taught and ready in her hands. “You don’t need to terrorize these people.”

“Oh, but I do.” Question Master paced carefully toward them. “And I have a question for you. Are you afraid of me?”

“No.”

“You’re a little creepy.” Chat shrugged at the look Ladybug shot him. “What? She’s a blatant rip off of the Riddler, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Not the time,” she pointed out.

“But it’s _exactly_ the time.” Question Master laughed. Chat hated the creepy villain laugh. It never sounded cheerful. “I don’t like liars, you see. So, please answer all of my questions honestly.” Her carefully pace was starting to look more like a prowl. “Will you hand over your miraculous?”

“No!”

“Never going to happen.”

Their answers were quick and fervent. In fact, Chat hadn’t even had a moment to think of a clever response before he blurted out his answer.

“The truth,” Question Master nodded, “no matter how disappointing. Let’s try a harder question.” She grabbed the curve of the metal question mark and pointed the tip of it at them. “What were you doing before you came here?”

“Homework.”

“I was at my piano lesson.”

Chat met Ladybug’s shocked gaze. He _definitely_ did not want to answer that question.

“Well, that’s not enlightening. If you two are going to be so stingy with your answers, I’ll have to ask more direct questions. Where do you—”

Ladybug didn’t let her finish before she screamed, “ _Run_!” Chat obeyed without hesitation.

They both bolted in different directions and Question Master’s next inquiry was cut off by her yell of frustration. Chat climbed up a small gondola before vaulting toward where he thought Ladybug had went.

“Don’t let her ask you any questions!” Ladybug told him as he landed beside her. “I think her power makes us answer truthfully. We don’t want to give anything away.”

“So less talky more attacky?” he asked.

“Yes,” she reluctantly agreed with his dorky statement. “The faster we beat this akuma, the better.”

Without a word, they sprung into action. They worked together well now, and it was something Chat was continually thrilled with. He knew his lady well enough to follow her plans just by a look she gave him, and she trusted him enough to get the job done. It was something he was always delighted with.

He knew Ladybug would swing in from the Question Master’s right, so he vaulted past the villain’s left to distract her just as Ladybug swooped in and—

Ladybug was knocked to the ground. The tip of Question Master’s strange, handheld question mark created a translucent shield when Ladybug’s body collided into it.

“What is your—”

Chat didn’t let Question Master continue her question. With a yell, he charged in—

Only to be flung back when Question Master raised her weapon.

The shield wasn’t visible unless one of them hit it, and they couldn’t get close enough to get the question mark out of Question Master’s hands. They were blocked each time, and if one of them stayed to distract the akumatized villain, she would immediately try to interrogate them. They couldn’t get close to her, whether by shield or the fear of being asked something they couldn’t answer.

“She’s really _testing_ my patience,” Chat told Ladybug. Her frazzled look told him that she agreed. They were both enjoying their moment’s reprieve. They sat on the edge of the student center after their most recent attack, but Question Master didn’t give them long.

“You will not be able to avoid answering my questions,” she warned. Chat spun his baton between his claws, ready to take that challenge.

“You may be a master, but I’m not _kitten_ about my skills. I’m the _créme de la créme_.”

“Than where did you learn—”

What Question Master wanted to say was cut off as Ladybug’s yo-yo collided with her shield.

“Move!” his partner yelled.

They each split up again and did their best to avoid any questions directed their way. If there was something to Cataclysm, Chat would have done it by now. This was frustrating. All they could do was run.

He froze when he saw someone huddled in a doorway. Question Master was distracted by Ladybug trying to flee across the courtyard, so he hesitated.

“Ma’am,” he called, “what are you doing here? It’s not safe.”

“I-I-I know,” the woman panted. Chat feared she was hyperventilating, so he moved closer. “I’m Professor Francois. She was my student.”

“Okay.” Chat held his hand up. “I understand that you’re concerned, but you need to calm down.” He mimed a deep breath for her. “We’ll help your student, but you need to breathe.” Mrs. Francois nodded frantically. She wiped her eyes with a shaky hand as she tried to steady herself. “Now do you know—”

Questions were not destined to be answered today. The crashing noise of Ladybug being knocked through a window shattered his attention. People started running from the building screaming, but Chat only had eyes for the broken window. His lady hadn’t emerged. He had to know if she was okay; he had to go check on her.

Ladybug stumbled out of a side door and used her yo-yo to pull herself onto the roof next door. She spotted Chat watching her and beelined for him.

His body was still tense when she landed beside him. “Are you okay?” he demanded. His eyes studied every inch of her he could see. He only started to relax when he couldn’t see any visible signs of lasting damage.

“Yeah, kitty cat. Don’t worry.”

He couldn’t promise that.

“Ma’am, you should evacuate the area.”

Chat had forgotten about Professor Francois. She appeared to be doing better with Ladybug’s reassuring presence nearby, but her hands were bunched in her hair.

“It’s okay,” Chat tried to comfort her. “We’ll take care of this.”

“I fear it might be my fault,” Mrs. Francois admitted in a whisper. “She is one of my students. A _brilliant_ girl. But, she had her thesis presentation today, and her friend presented the same paper just before Miss Blanchard.” The professor shook her head in disappointment. “We have a zero tolerance for plagiarism here. While I know Miss Blanchard, or Question Master now, as a student, the rest of the committee grading her were harsh.”

“She presented in front of a committee?” Chat pried.

“Yes. She had a beautiful presentation, too. She just… didn’t handle the accusations the committee had for her at the end. Her friend’s paper was too similar to be a coincidence.”

“She gave her whole thesis before they questioned her?” Marinette demanded. “Why didn’t you voice your concerns at the beginning?”

“I…” Mrs. Francois looked taken aback. “That’s not really how it’s done. Everyone gets a fair chance.”

“Clearly Miss Blanchard did not appreciate the questions or the fairness of that chance.”

Chat gave Ladybug a warning look. He was ready to step in to help avoid pointing blame. He knew her well enough to know that Miss Blanchard’s story would upset her. She didn’t like injustice, and she wouldn’t think Miss Blanchard’s treatment had been fair. While he admired that sense of righteousness, now was not the time to deal with the issue.

“Yes… well, I just want all of this sorted.” She looked toward where they could hear Question Master demanding the backstory of a poor art student. She was questioning anyone she could since she’d lost sight of them. “Just not like this.”

“That’s what we’re here to help with, ma’am,” Chat assured her. “We’re _purr_ fessionals.”

“It would just be easier if she couldn’t talk,” Ladybug mused. Chat could tell she was trying to come up with a plan. “We can’t play twenty questions all day.”

“It’s like the Spanish Inquisition out there,” Mrs. Francois commented.

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” Chat blurted suddenly and laughed at his own joke. Ladybug groaned in response, but it didn’t even make his grin falter as he looked at her. He knew she appreciated his sense of humor, even if she wouldn’t admit it. “Our chief weapon is surprise. Surprise and fear, fear and surprise. Our two weapons are fear and surprise… and ruthless—”

“—Stop!” She gave him a hard look. “You’re a dork but save it for later. Where do you think the akuma is hiding?”

Chat shrugged. “I was going to ask you.”

“Why? So you can _ask_ me a _question_?”

“You’re right!” Chat clutched his chest in horror. “I missed that.”

“No… that’s it!” She beamed at him before grabbing his hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Francois,” she called as she pulled Chat away. “You’ve been very helpful.” She dragged Chat behind some bushes where she could watch Question Master.

“I think I have an idea.” Chat leaned in close, eager to hear. And eager to watch the bright sparkle in her eyes. “The answers have to be honest right?”

“Um, yeah. That’s the problem.”

“Not if we get _her_ talking.” Ladybug grinned as his face lit up in understanding. “I just need one thing, so it’s going to be up to you to keep her distracted. Do you think you can do that?”

Chat gave her his cheshire grin. “I think I can _master_ it okay.”

Sauntering over toward Question Master, Chat let Ladybug go do her thing. Being a distraction was something he was good at.

“Hey Question Master!” he called. She spun toward him, her focus zeroing in. “Why are you doing this?”

“I was lied to!” she spat. “It wasn’t my fault. I put so much work into my project, and when they asked me about it, they didn’t care! They didn’t want the truth. They just wanted the answers they wanted to hear. Not anymore! I want honest answers.” Chat honestly hadn’t been expecting that much.

“Um, okay.” He leaned on the top of his baton. “But, I _question_ your motives here.”

“Well that’s… no… this.” She shook her head.

“Why didn’t you just answer their questions a _cat_ rately?”

“I’m not very good at that,” she hissed. “What are you—”

“—Why not?” Chat interrupted.

“I get nervous,” Question Master replied obediently. “Stop. Don’t—”

“Well, why accept Hawk Moth’s deal? That doesn’t seem like the answer does it?” He kept asking questions rapid fire, so she didn’t even have time to answer, but her seething rage was apparent in her gnashing teeth. Being annoying was something he was good at, too. “No wait, better question. Where is the akuma?”

“In the rabbit’s foot.”

Question Master gasped and hid her arm behind her back. They’d been so focused on the question mark in her right hand, that they hadn’t even noticed the rabbit’s foot hanging from a bracelet on her left.

Chat raised his baton, ready to attack, when something red and spotted with black dots came flying in on Question Master’s right. The akumatized villain noticed it too. She threw up her shield to deflect it when Ladybug swooped in from her left. She grabbed the rabbit’s foot just as a ladybug spotted pool inflatable bounced off of Question Master’s shield.

“ _No_!”

“Nice distraction, Chat!” She snapped the rabbit’s foot in two. The dark akuma fluttered away from the broken pieces. Her yo-yo was attached to the pool inflatable, so she tugged on it to bring it closer.

“Oh, you know me. I’m the cat’s meow.”

Rather than answer him, Ladybug focused on the akuma. “No more evil doing for you, little akuma.” Chat watched fondly as Ladybug went through the motions of purifying the butterfly. His heart melted at the soft expression on her face as she said goodbye to the little butterfly. He could watch her a thousand times, and he’d never stop being in awe of his partner.

Question Master’s form was slouched in defeat as Ladybug grabbed the pool inflatable. “Miraculous Ladybug!” All the damage was cleansed, but Miss Blanchard still looked heartbroken.

Ladybug turned toward him expectantly.

“Pound it!” they cried together. Their familiar fistbump still brought a smile to Chat’s face despite its familiarity. He couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased that she let the tradition continue. It was a silly tradition, and she was the more serious one. It gave him hope that she still looked to him for the familiar action instead of humoring him.

“That went _purr_ fectly, my lady.”

Ladybug’s miraculous beeped.

“That and the bad pun are my cue to leave.” She pulled out her yo-yo before noticing that Chat hadn’t moved. “Aren’t you going too?” He scooped up the discarded rabbit’s foot. A lucky charm for an important day. Maybe it could still work.

“I’ve got a little time left.” He tapped his ring meaningfully. “I’m going to stick around make sure everything’s okay here.” He glanced back at where Miss Blanchard was talking with Mrs. Francois. The girl looked crushed even above her confusion. The question mark weapon of hers had turned back into a simple pen dropped to the ground beside her as she cried.

Ladybug blinked in surprise. “Okay.” She tossed her yo-yo at a lamppost. “I hope everything gets sorted!” she called as she swung away.

Chat watched her soared farther away. “Bye Ladybug,” he breathed as he watched his heart disappear into the Parisian skyline.

* * *

 

Spinning around in his desk chair, Adrien leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. Alya hadn’t managed to get any clear shots of the akuma attack with Question Master. From the way the camera angle shifted, Adrien guessed Nino had kept pulling her away. But, someone had posted a picture of Ladybug yo-yoing away after purifying the akuma. Adrien had saved it to his Ladybug folder.

It was another happy memory of her that warmed his heart and left a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was always in a good mood after seeing her. It was one of the greatest blessings of his life that he got to be her partner.

Plagg had gotten bored while he searched the Ladyblog and was on the corner of his bed gnawing on his cheese. Adrien tilted his head down at the sound and grimaced.

“Plagg!” he whined. “Now my bedding is going to smell like camembert.”

“Good,” his kwami mumbled back. “It’s better than smelling like all those products you put in your hair.”

“Hey, those are part of my daily regimen,” Adrien defended.

“Exactly my point.” Plagg popped the last of the cheese in his mouth. “No teenage boy should have a regimen.”  

“Most other teenage boys aren’t models,” Adrien pointed out. Plagg did have a point though. Nino had pointed out the large amount of products in Adrien’s bathroom on one of his visits.

But, the argument with Plagg brought something else to mind. “Do you think that’s another reason Marinette is so nervous around me?”

Plagg toppled off the bed and nearly hit the floor. “What?” He hovered back up before zipping toward Adrien’s pillow.

“If my dad being a fashion designer makes her anxious, is me being a model intimidating too?”

“Oh right.” Plagg dropped onto Adrien’s pillow, denting the middle to fit his small form. “I forgot that you so _brilliantly_ deduced why pigtails can’t talk to you.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

"Nino agreed with me," Adrien pouted.

"Well, excuse me if I don't go singing praises of your observational abilities like that friend of yours." He wiggled as he got comfortable on the pillow. “I have better things I could be wasting my time with.”

“I know you don’t care about anything but cheese, but this is important to me.” Adrien crossed his arms and glared at his kwami. He ignored when Plagg muttered that it was more likely “ridiculous.” This was a problem he was determined to solve.

“Okay, so what’s your plan?” Plagg blinked at him with his big eyes. He was burrowed into Adrien’s pillow with his ears belying his feigned disinterest in the conversation. They kept twitching with impatience.

“Marinette wants to be a fashion designer more than anything.” Adrien rested his elbows on his knees. “My father would be an idol for someone like her, a god even, and let’s face it… my father can be pretty intimidating. Even to me.”

“Yeah.” Adrien glared at in response to the disgust in his kwami’s voice. He knew Plagg’s opinion. While Adrien knew his home life was a little colder than most other kids, Plagg had been personally affronted by the issue. It was an incessant disagreement they had.

“I’m his son, so I think I could find a way… be the one to show her that my father’s not the idol everyone thinks he is.”

“You’re not kidding.”

“Plagg,” Adrien warned. “The point is that I think maybe Marinette would finally be more comfortable around me then. Without my father or family name hanging over our friendship.”

“Fine, but I bet a year’s worth of camembert that it’s more complicated than you think.”

That made Adrien freeze. Plagg _loved_ cheese. He couldn’t really be wrong, could he?

No, Adrien refused to believe he was wrong. He wasn’t as oblivious as Nino and Plagg said he was. He could see the signs. There wasn’t another explanation for the usually kind and confident Marinette to be so shy and awkward around him and only him. The only other option would be if she hated him, and that’s why she treated him differently, but Marinette was too good of a person for something like that. He couldn’t bare to think that Marinette hated him, so _this_ had to be the answer.

“You’re on. I know I can make Marinette comfortable being my friend.”

“Look, I agree that you two should get to know each other better.” Plagg sighed. “I just think the problem might be more complicated than you realize.”

He’d said that twice now. “What does that mean?” Adrien demanded.

Plagg spluttered. “I-I don’t know. I’m not-don’t look at me! Do I have pigtails?”

“You’re right,” Adrien finally agreed. “I can’t really know what Marinette is thinking, but I want to. I have to at least try.”

“Why?”

Adrien blinked at Plagg. The kwami had zoomed under his nose without him noticing. “What do you mean?”

“Why do you have to try? Why do you care if pigtails is or isn’t your friend?” Plagg’s eyes studied him with the focus he usually reserved for a particularly pungent camembert. It made Adrien uncomfortable.

“I don’t know,” he defended. “I just…” He really didn’t know why it was so important to him. It just was. He wanted to get to know Marinette. “It just is.”

Plagg stared at him. “Do you like her?”

“Of course. She’s a great person.”

“No.” Plagg’s gaze held steady. It was intimidating to be stared down by the little kwami. “Do you _like_ her?”

“ _What_?!” Adrien flailed in his chair, but Plagg only stared him down. “You know my heart belongs to Ladybug.”

His answer seemed to disappoint his kwami.

Adrien wasn’t sure why. Plagg had always been supportive of his feelings for Ladybug. Well, as supportive as his kwami could be about something that wasn’t cheese. He’d even encouraged him to find out his lady’s identity.

“So, why not get to know Ladybug better instead of pigtails?”

It was a good question. It was a fair question. It was something Adrien desperately wanted. Possibly, it was the thing he wanted more than  _anything_ else. But, he wanted this too. “Ladybug wants to keep our identities secret,” he defended. “Besides, I think Marinette could really like each other if she’d just talk to me.”

“Yeah,” Plagg agreed cynically. He stared for a long moment as he chosen before flitting away with a twitch of his whiskers. He drifted absently back toward Ariden’s bed. “Good luck, kid.”

Good luck wasn’t exactly Adrien’s specialty, so he’d take all of it he could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit where credit is due: the title was inspired by the post “Igniorant” by ErikaEmber on DeviantArt! Also, points to anyone who knows the Monty Python reference. I love their skits, and if you haven't seen any of their work, trust me when I say that you should google them.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this first chapter. I think Adrien is going to be a fun character to work with, and the whole work will be Adrien-centric. While that means a lot of characterization between him as Adrien and as Chat, I’m at least excited about all the puns. The Question Master akuma part actually was written puns first with the scene built around it later.
> 
> There are five chapters planned for this fic, and I ended up needing an akuma for each chapter. I promise there is an actual storyline that’ll be going on here. This was just supposed to be the introductory part, which turned into three parts, which turned into over 5,000 words (10 pages), which means this is going to be a lot bigger than I’d planned since chapter one was supposed to be the shortest bit by far. I have a pretty busy schedule, so I can’t guarantee regular updates, but this one only took me a couple of days, so I’ll keep typing away.


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